Sacrifice
by StormDancer
Summary: He told her he’d do anything for her she didn’t believe him until he ripped away his mask in a desperate attempt to save her. Sentence 13 from my compilation, Shadowy Love


Disclaimer- I don't own the TT. This is based on sentence 13 from my sentence compilation Shadowy Love, as per request of Tayk and Dani.

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_**13) **He told her he'd do anything for her; she didn't believe him until he ripped away his mask in a desperate attempt to save her._

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Sacrifice

Story StormDancer

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It is not light that we need, but fire; not the gentle shower but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.

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"No! Raven!"

The single cry cut through the noises of battle, overwhelmed the clash of metal on metal, and pierced the heart of every listener, whatever side they were on, but it couldn't drown out the horribly loud splash that echoed in the silence the cry had created. The Titans looked in horror at the ripples on the ocean that had opened itself for their friend, the HIVE looked in wonder at the boy whose blast had caused her deadly fall, but before any of them came out of their awed trance another splash filled the air, and a black clad body was under the water, his cry still ringing in all ears who had heard it.

No one moved for a long second- if he didn't find her soon, they would know for sure. But the HIVE recovered first- they still had a chance to run, before the death of a teammate made the heroes blind with rage. But the Titans were heroes before they were friends- a subdued battle commenced, as all the Titans watched the bay with all the attention they could spare.

Red X peered around the murky water. His suit had a built in oxygen mask- he had air. She did not. He let the momentum of his dive carry him deeper, deeper, until the pressure began to press around him nearly unbearably and his only hope for her survival was the inhuman blood her father had bequeathed her, the blood that she had cursed again and again.

There- a glimpse of moon white skin surrounded by the blackness that was dragging her down. Her cloak, her mask, was drowning her now, pulling her downward out of his reach- Red X could have appreciated the irony if it had been anyone else there, their pale face serene in its unconsciousness.

She couldn't last much longer- how long could anyone survive without oxygen, even a half-demon? He couldn't remember, didn't want to. Not thinking meant there was still hope for her, kept him from panicking in the perfection of his despair.

He pressed on, shooting deeper and deeper into the shadows that should have embraced them both, but was killing her- and thus, killing him, for he couldn't live without her. Finally, finally, after the interminable moments that she drifted farther and farther from him, her pale hand floating upwards as if reaching for him, he was in range. A grappling hook shot off his belt- he would have to remember to thank the Boy Wonder later, if there was later for her- and wrapped itself around her waist.

He yanked her towards him and ripped off her cloak- later he would wonder if he should have gone straight for the surface- and, without thinking, jerked his mask away form his face- his life-giving, identifying mask- and as gently as he could with so much riding on it, shoved it into her face. He shot upwards with all the force of his desperation and her need, not even waiting to hear if she was breathing in the life he had given her.

The surface, that faint, ephemeral light that flickered in and out of focus as he felt the strength drain out of his muscles and his progress slowed as breath drained out of his body, seemed so damn far away. He wouldn't make it; he couldn't despite all his promises he had made. He had done his best- he hoped Raven, wherever she was, would forgive him. He gave her a final shove upwards, towards the sun that pierced the shadows around him, and let himself drift down into the night. His last sight, before he blacked out, was of bright, metallic hands reflecting the light grasping Raven's shoulder.

Red X blinked. He wasn't dead- he knew this light; it was the sun, not any sort of heavenly radiance. He blinked again. A masked face swam into view, scowling. Red X felt the pavement beneath him- he couldn't be far from the bay. No more thoughts- he bolted up, looking frantically around for Raven.

He shoved Robin away with unexpected strength, scrambling, half-crawling, to where she lay, propped up on an impromptu bed, obviously constructed by Cyborg for fear of moving her. He made it on his feet, and finally collapsed beside it; only content to rest when he saw her eyes flutter open.

She smiled when she saw him, and for a moment there was only the two of them in the world.

Her hand found its way up to his cheek, and only when he felt her warm flesh did he realize the significance of the scrap of fabric at her side. He didn't have his mask on- but when he saw the life in her eyes, he couldn't care.

"Your mask," she murmured, her fingers tracing the lines of his features, as if she had never expected to see them again. Her other hand joined the first, running through his loose, wet hair and down his neck, leaving trails of dampness behind them.

"I told you," he replied before devouring her lips in a desperate kiss, not caring that the other Titans, that the world, could see his unmasked face. Raven was alive- that was the only thing that mattered. "I'd do anything for you."


End file.
